markofthebrave | [Voice, Action... of a sort] .010

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[Voice, Action... of a sort] .010

Aang didn't come out for breakfast today. When I went in his room to check on him, all his stuff was gone. ...I guess this means he went home, right?

And all the stuff in the kitchen is different - does anyone know how they're supposed to work? ~~Or how they got in here without waking us up, because -- seriously, creepy.~~

[Filtered to Longshot 60%]
Hey - haven't seen you around in a while. How are you doing?

[Filtered to Erza 62%, OPEN to Gaang members]
Hi, Erza! I've got a few questions about magic, and you're the only one I know here who does it. Do you mind?

[Filtered to the Green Lantern 62%]
John Stewart, the Green Lantern. I spoke about it with my brother, and we decided that we were more comfortable if you didn't bring us up.

[As for action? Katara is not going very far today. In fact, she is stuck inside, doing healing sessions with the invalid and making sure he stays in bed, and trying to figure out how all this crazy new stuff works. If you think she'd open the door for you and let you in, feel free to stop by and give the girl ~~something else do~~ a helping hand!]

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[One hand moves to clasp her other arm in front of her.] No. You're not wrong.

[She takes a deep shuddering breath and meets his gaze evenly.] I'm trying to fix it. But I'm just... not hungry. I just... can't swallow.

I'm sorry.

[but he shakes his head] Maybe the problem is that you're making this just another thing to fix. Your mind is so full it's confusing your body. You're carrying too much inside, Katara-- you need to let it go.

[Katara is mildly exasperated at this and levels a flat look at him.]

Let it go where?

[Believe it or not, she's not trying to be difficult.] What am I supposed to do?

Anywhere but holed up inside.

[he shrugs, looking her thoughtfully in the eye] And I don't know you well enough to answer that question.

[Ouch. Throwing words back in people's faces is unkind.

Well. Now what? She wanted to get better, but... she wasn't exactly sure what, or how... or even if she was comfortable with talking about this anymore. She leans forward and places her teacup on the coffee table.]

The only thing I know how to do is keep moving forward. Just... keep doing what I'm doing because it needs to be done. If you've got any suggestions, I'd love to hear it. I don't want to be this way.

[If she wants to be treated like an adult, she can take responsibility for her own words.

He looks at her, thinking, cigarette ignored between his fingers. He can't criticize that-- it's how he lives his whole life....but...]

Moving forwards? [a pause] Do you really think that's a fair description of what you're doing? Because I think it's your idea of what "needs to be done" that's the problem. Tell me-- in this place, what do you think your responsibilities are?

[Katara blinks. She's never thought about that.] Whatever I can.

[A pause, and feeling that's not sufficient she moves on.] We've all got to try to find a way to get home, right? So maybe I'm not out there trying to break down the barrier and interrrogate the Malnosso, but I've got to keep my eye opened. And then there's just - making sure everyone is safe enough to get home. That means that when Sokka comes up with a plan or Toph starts a defense force, I have to support it - just like if I see someone hurting someone else I need to try to stop it.

And then there's the normal stuff, keeping the house clean and making dinner and washing clothes... training, trying to figure out a way to be useful here without all of my power and with people who can just... absorb it right into themselves.

And when people go off and get themselves hurt... [her gaze flickers over to Zuko's room, and she swallows, remembering Toph...] I have to do what I can to help them get better.

[She's not even aware that she's started to tear up a little bit again.] And I have to try to be strong. Because this is the worst kind of place, where it seems so normal but people are getting hurt all the time -- it's worse than the raids at home. Then at least you'd have the black snow to warn you that something bad was coming. Here stuff just... happens. So someone needs to take care of them and make sure that they don't give up but they don't kill themselves trying...

[She's suddenly made aware of the tears when her voice ends in a ragged sob, and she stops talking and just sits there, trying to stop crying.]

[Aaand he’s made her cry again. Someone else might be bothered by that enough to backpedal—but Ginko only persists. Gently--]

That’s ...a lot for one person to do.

Those concerns are all very real, and you keep saying “someone needs to”—but do you have to be that someone every time? It seems to me like what you can do is very different than what you think you should do. Your body is trying to tell you that it’s reached it’s limit, Katara—and I understand the human body well enough to tell you that with confidence.

You're so strong to have come this far, and I admire you for it—but everyone needs a little help sometimes.

[Someone else would probably try to hug her, too. But physical affection is still a foreign language to him, so he puts all of his warmth into his words.]

And you can shout at me, and tell me it isn’t any of my business—but if you really want to be strong and take care of you friends, you need to start by taking care of yourself.

[She's not going to shout at him - she can't even argue with him too much. Not when he's using her own words... how many times has she told that to someone these past few weeks?

A hand drops down to her necklace. She'd gotten the full story from Zuko back when... then. She was trying so hard to do what needed to be done... but her conversation with Nash came back to her too. Her mother had chosen to sacrifice herself for her. Would she be happy with her now, not even able to eat? How was that honoring her mother's memory?

Something inside her tightened and then loosened with a gasp - and the words that she was about to say 'Because if I don't do it, it doesn't get done' go with it. And then, what Sokka had said to Toph when he thought she hadn't heard...]

I'm not strong.

[His voice had wrapped around her like a hug, but that wasn't the same thing and right now, Katara needed that feeling of being safe. So she launches herself at his side and buries her head against him and cries. But these are cleansing tears, and with each sob that tension inside her eases a little... she can't do it all. She has to take care of herself. And that's okay. Her mom would want that.]

[He wonders what she is thinking when she touches her necklace-- is it an heirloom, maybe? but he sees something unfold from down deep and engulf the protests he was expecting. And when she falls against him it surprises him -- more that she isn't angry with him than anything. But he's getting a little better at this, and this time he wraps his arms around her without a second thought.
Ginko just holds her while she cries-- That's what I meant by flowing away, you know-- without saying a single word. She can takes as long as she needs to, he isn't going anywhere.

When the sobs start to subside and little, he'll curve one hand over her head and say, very quietly]

How could you get so far and do so much, without knowing you were strong?

Edited 2010-03-24 18:02 (UTC)

[Eventually the intensity of her crying eased, and Katara took a deep breath. Ginko smelled of living things, the green of the earth tinged with woodsmoke. She shifted away a little, not quite releasing him but giving herself time to calm down.

The touch and the quiet words soak into her like sunlight, thick as honey. She won't respond to that - on some level, she does know - she knows that she's strong enough to let herself be taken prisoner in order to rescue other people, knows that she's strong enough to become a master bender, knows that she's not the same little girl who left her mother alone with a soldier when she knew something bad was going to happen - but at the same time, when she wasn't in the middle of doing something, of facing something down -- all she could do was hold on to the hope that it would all be okay.

She clutches the material of his shirt for a moment... and now that her crying has stopped becomes aware of something else. Katara pulls away and wipes her eyes.]

I'm hungry. [Have a soft smile, touched with awe.] Would you like anything?

[Ginko is used to reading silence as much as speech-- and that same intuitive sense that catches the glow of translucent creatures in the shadows and hears the hum of light flowing underground, feels the tension unwind with that breath.

And another part of him, one of the deeply buried places, is touched by the way she holds on-- and more than a little humbled.

When she wipes her eyes and smiles, he smiles back-- but at her words a surprised laugh bursts out. He grins down at her.]

Do I get to help?

[She laughs as well, just happy and relieved and... lighter.] If you want!

[...and she's going to start walking towards the kitchen because... she. is. hungry.]

Edited 2010-03-25 16:02 (UTC)

[grin] Then yes, I would.

[He'll follow her into the kitchen, hands in his pockets... now peering curiously at the new fixtures.]

Huh. This stuff just showed up? ...have you tried using it?

We just woke up this morning and it was here. [She's rummaging around in the new refrigerator.] Kinda creepy. Sokka went to the store to see if any other new stuff came.

[Retrieving some meat and cheese, she sets about making some food. Maybe something lighter would be better, but... hungry.] That [She nods in its direction] has rows to wash dishes and that [Tilting her head towards the microwave] somehow heats things up faster than fire. This keeps things cold... [shutting the fridge door behind her, she lays her supplies out on the counter and starts to slice some bread.]

...they've got cords that attach them into the wall. Sokka says they're powered by electricity.

[She's maybe focusing on slicing the bread just a tad bit too hard as she says this.]

Huh. [wants to press ALL THE BUTTONS. Resists.

Well. He can't help looking the refrigerator over. He opens it at stares.] Interesting. Seems like it is the same temperature evenly distributed. I can see why people would cultivate that kind of technology-- food probably goes bad a lot slower. I'd imagine, at least...

[he trails off, one hand pressed against the side of the strange object, eye flickering with curiosity.] I wonder... [After a moment, the light in the refrigerated starts to grow rapidly brighter--and then slowly fades again, until it all but goes out. Then it returns to its normal glow. He grin and closes the door.] Very interesting.

Electricity. So it would seem. [He looks over at her, a little guilty for missing the displeased tone. ] You know, Kazuma and Duo both told me about electricity. It seems to just be a natural step in the progress of some versions of earth. And then over the journals, there are just as many claiming to have moved beyond it.

[a shrug, and a slight smile] Fire to light lamps, water and wind to power mills-- man seems to find a use for all of the elements, huh?

Edited 2010-03-25 17:20 (UTC)

Mmmm. [Focusing on sandwich. Not on being surrounded by deadly currents of power. Yes.]

I'd be terrified to see this back home. [Opps. That had nothing to do with the tomato. ...Oh well, letting things out, right?] I know people who can bend lightning there. They're not... good. Walking around in the town, I can always feel the pull of the water underneath me, in the buildings... it's a steady source in case I ever need it.

[Her eyes shade a little. After their fight in the cave, she is always going to view Azula as her opponent. She'd almost had her there, before Zuko interfered. And what she did to Aang...] I don't know if this would work the same way, but if she could bend all this power... the town would become a war zone.

[She nods once, decisively, still not looking at him.] I'm just glad she's not here.

[And with that, Katara takes a big bite of her completed sandwich. Mmmm, that's so good.]

[~~Because mun is a derp and forgot about this~~ Ginko could tell from talking to any of them that there are some bad memories associated with lightning. But he certainly isn’t going to press about that now—instead, he responds with a simple and completely honest]

Mm. Same here.

[He stops fiddling with their appliances and move to pull down plates ~~or otherwise do something helpful~~. He’ll eat with her, and be pleased at the sight of her eating normally now—before running into her brother as he heads out the door. Significantly more at east with the answer to the question she greeted him with.]

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[Voice, Action... of a sort] .010

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